1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to audio and video conferencing over a network. In particular, the present invention is directed to an efficient method for providing high-quality conferencing between multiple participants.
2. Description of the Related Art
Often, people wish to participate in a conference over a network. These conferences may include text, audio, video, application sharing, or some combination of the four. Frequently, the connections between the participants' conferencing systems are established to meet a lowest common denominator—that is, if some participants have video capability but others do not, the conference does not include video for any of the participants. In addition, where more than two participants are involved in a conference, a centralized server typically is required to act as an interface between the participants, with each of the conferencing systems receiving a feed from the server, resulting in latency and reduced quality. Finally, it is cumbersome in most instances to add a participant to an existing conference both because the new participant may not have the minimum hardware requirements to join the existing conference, and because the mechanism of inviting the user to the conference is itself tedious.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for providing improved network conferencing that allows each user to participate at a level commensurate with her hardware and bandwidth characteristics without the need for a centralized server, and which additionally allows participants to be easily added and removed.